The Great Sports Parent- Jim Cudd

We have all heard parenting horror stories in the world of youth sports, but what about the good ones?  Why don’t we hear inspiring stories about the many great parents out there?  Contrary to what some believe, they’re not extinct.  They’re out there, behind the scenes, empowering their children to accomplish things they never thought possible.

I want to open up this blog series to you, the coaches and players who have witnessed The Great Sports Parent first hand.  If you have a story (and I know you do), please email me to contribute to this series with a guest post.  It’s time we honor the greats, bring them out of the shadows and into the spotlight, give them the recognition they deserve, and inspire others to become a Great Sports Parent.  

The Great Sports Parent- Jim Cudd

In 1998, Temple High played at Chattanooga Christian for CCS’s homecoming.  As the clock was winding down, I was fouled and would go to the line for a one and one with a 6-point lead with 8 seconds on the clock.  I made my first attempt as the capacity crowd fell silent, realizing that the game was all but in the books.  As I received the ball from the official for my second attempt, a long time Temple fan by the name Jim Cudd yelled at the top of his voice, “Happy Homecoming!”  Temple folks erupted with laughter.  I couldn’t help but smile as I shot the free throw.  Well played, Big Jim, well played. 

Let me tell you about Big Jim Cudd.  His son Phil was a sophomore who desperately wanted to make the varsity that year.  He was a late bloomer who was tiny and didn’t shoot the ball particularly well and had been hobbled by a nagging hamstring injury in the preseason.  He was beaten out by Lance Walters (freshman) and Jeron Williams (8th grader).  Phil was disappointed of course, but he continued to work on his game and had a great J.V. season.

His father, Big Jim, wouldn’t play the victim card.  He had a blue collar mentality and raised his boys on the values of hard work, discipline, a growth mindset, and relentlessness in the face of adversity.  He was the prime example of the type of parents we had at Temple High in the 90’s.

He trusted and respected the coach and taught his boys to do the same.   He would never make excuses for Phil or allow him to play the victim card either.  Big Jim would be at every J.V. game soaking up each moment he got to watch his son play and rooting on the whole team.  After the J.V. games he would stay and support the girls as well as the varsity boys.  He showed Phil every game day that the program was bigger than any one person.  That a TEAM sport isn’t all about YOU.  I know he loved his son more than anyone on the team, but he was one of the coach’s biggest supporters whether Phil was playing or not.  He never once said a word to the coaches or complained to anyone else about Phil not making the team.  He just let his son get coached and let him have his own basketball journey.

Phil turned out just great.  He kept working on his game and had a big senior year.  He even set a school record for most points scored in one quarter by dropping 24 points through the nets.  He also got the chance to play college basketball.  I truly believe that if Big Jim had let him feel victimized because he didn’t make the team or tried to protect him from the disappointment of failure during his career, Phil would’ve never tasted success in the game of basketball.  He also wouldn’t be the man that he is today.  There are few people I respect in the world more than Phil Cudd.  He was a great teammate and a winner, and still is.  He is a happily married father of two little girls, a high school teacher, and college basketball official with a bright future ahead of him.  A father like Big Jim played a major role in the man he would become.

Phil had this to say about his relationship with his father during his basketball career…

“I never remember Dad questioning leadership privately either. He never made me feel inadequate or less important to the program when I wasn’t at the same developmental or skill level as other players, but he also wouldn’t lie to me saying I was better than ‘so and so’ or I should be playing ahead of ‘that guy or this guy.’ He would say things like ‘I’m so proud of how hard you play’ or ‘get a little bit better every day.’  There was no difference in the way he supported me from when I wasn’t getting playing time to when I was a starter and never left the floor.”

Let the last part of that quote soak in for a second.  So often parents let their ego get in the way when it comes to playing time.  Big Jim was consistent in his support of his son.  His love and the pride he felt was unconditional.  It wasn’t based on performance.  That’s the key to empowering the child-athlete to reach their ceiling of potential.

The Great Sports Parent…

• Understands the value of failure and disappointment in a young person’s development, and doesn’t try to shield them from it.
• Lets their kid get coached
• Supports the whole team
• Doesn’t let their kid play the victim card… Just tells them to keep trying to get better
• Instills a strong work ethic, discipline, and respect into their child-athlete
• Models the trust and respect that their kid should have for their coach with their own words and actions… Even behind closed doors or in the car ride home
• Let’s their kid have their own journey

The parent is one of the most important teammates in every program.  It’s very hard for an athlete to be a great teammate if their parents are not.  This is why you find great parents behind every great program.

Today, we need more Great Sports Parents than ever.  Make the choice to be one no matter what disappointment or unfairness may come at your child during their athletic career.  They will learn so much about life through sport if we, as parents, will simply have the courage to stay out of the way.

Jim Cudd, I salute you.  You truly are one of the greats.

To tell your story and honor one of the greats that you know email me- josh3all@gmail.com